10836: Ruling on plays and skits for the purpose of da’wah

I would like to know the ruling for skits/dramas/plays for children/teenagers with Islamic content (like ayahs from Qur'an, quotations from Hadith, etc...) I have read your ruling about wearing wigs, false moustaches, etc...(which is haram) however, I would appreciate a comprehensive answer as many people who have some knowledge of the deen have said skits are allowable for youngsters. I would be much obliged for your early reply as we have a halaqa for young people and may Allah save us from going against the book and the Sunnah.

Published Date: 2001-03-01

Praise be to Allaah.

This
is one of the issues concerning which the scholars differed; some of
them forbid it altogether and some of them permit it, but within the
guidelines of sharee’ah. Before we discuss the different views on this
matter, we should point out that there is no dispute at all concerning
the kind of acting which involves promiscuity and the mixing of men
and women, and other kinds of evil actions, which is well-known on the
screen. There is no dispute among the scholars concerning the prohibition
of such acting.

The
kind of acting concerning which there is a difference of opinion is
that which is done by two or more people in front of a group of others,
using actions and dialogue, in order to teach that group something about
Islamic worship or morals, or to help them understand reality and the
corruption that exists, or to teach them about the glories of the past,
or for purposes of entertainment – in which they may present themselves
in a way that differs from the way they really are. This kind of acting
must be subject to certain guidelines, as follows:

1-
Avoiding acting the parts of Prophets, the Sahaabah, shayaateen
(devils), kaafirs and animals. Avoiding men playing the parts of women
and vice versa. Avoiding acting the parts of unseen beings such as angels.

2-
Playing the part of one who mocks Allaah, His signs, His
Messenger or any of the rituals of Islam, even if the aim is to teach
the people. No one is permitted to act in such a manner, regardless
of whether he means it or is joking.

3-
Playing any role which involves any kind of speech that
is haraam, such as lying or backbiting; or which involves making the
clothes too long, etc.

4-
Acting out any acts of worship such as wudoo’ or prayer
in an incorrect manner which is not that reported in the Sunnah.

One
should avoid playing the role of evil or immoral characters, or playing
the role of the imaams or prominent scholars of the ummah, lest that
lead to an undermining of their status.

Some
of the contemporary scholars said that acting is forbidden altogether;
others said that it is permitted so long as it meets certain conditions.
Among the latter was Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him). There follows his fatwa on the topic:

“Praise
be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds. There is no doubt that calling
people to Allaah (da’wah) is an act of worship, as Allaah commands us
(interpretation of the meaning):

‘Invite
(mankind, O Muhammad) to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom
(i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur’aan) and fair preaching,
and argue with them in a way that is better”[al-Nahl 16:125]

The
person who is calling others to Allaah feels, when he is calling them
to Allaah, that he is fulfilling the command of Allaah and drawing closer
to Him. Undoubtedly the best way in which he can call people is with
the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). For the Book of Allaah
is the greatest preaching method that can be used when advising mankind:

‘O mankind! There has come to
you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Qur’aan, enjoining all that
is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that which
is in your breasts, — a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and
unlawful things) for the believers”[Yoonus 10:57
– interpretation of the meaning]

The
Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said likewise: “The best of speech is preaching.”
Sometimes he used to preach to his Companions in a manner that they
described as “making the heart tremble and the eyes fill with tears.”
So if a person can use this means of preaching, undoubtedly this is
the best means, i.e., by using the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of
His Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). But if he thinks that sometimes he can add other
permissible methods, using things that Allaah has permitted, there is
nothing wrong with that. But this is subject to the condition that these
means should not involve anything that is forbidden such as lying or
playing the roles of kaafirs, for example, or playing the roles
of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) or the imaams – the
leaders of the Muslims after the Sahaabah – or similar things where
there is the fear that this may lead to the people looking down on any
of these great imaams… Another of the conditions is that this acting
should not involve men imitating women or vice versa, because this is
a matter concerning which it is reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) cursed those who do it. He cursed the women who imitate
men and the men who imitate women.

The
point is that if some of these means are used occasionally in order
to attract people, and they do not involve anything haraam, I do not
think that there is anything wrong with that. But if it is done frequently
and is made the only means of calling people to Allaah, and one turns
away from calling them with the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that the people who are being called
cannot be moved by any other means, then I think that this is not right,
and in this case it becomes haraam, because directing the people towards
anything other than the Qur’aan and Sunnah in matters that have to do
with calling people to Allaah is a reprehensible action. But I do not
see anything wrong with doing that occasionally, so long as it does
not involve anything haraam.”